You can add Marcell Ozuna to the list of players that is happy to not be
playing in Oakland.

KANSAS CITY — Brandon Moss shared some pretty powerful emotions with his former A’s teammates at Kauffman Stadium three seasons ago.

There was more drama for the A’s in that ballpark Monday, and this time Moss was wearing enemy colors. He came to the plate for the Royals in the bottom of the ninth representing the go-ahead run, with Kansas City runners on the corners and two outs with the A’s clinging to a 2-0 lead.

On the mound for Oakland was lefty Sean Doolittle. Calling pitches behind the plate was Stephen Vogt. All three were on the same side in 2014, when the A’s lost a 9-8 heartbreaker to the Royals in the American League Wild Card game.

“He’s one of my favorite people over there. We know him well,” Vogt said. “That’s all I told Doo. I just went out there and said, ‘Let’s go, you and me right now.’”

Doolittle and Vogt won the battle of good friends. Moss went down swinging on a 94 mile-per-hour fastball and the A’s clinched a 2-0 victory in front 40,019 fans on hand for the Royals’ home opener.

Moss went from journeyman to All-Star while with the A’s from 2012-14, hitting a career-high 30 home runs in 2013. He was at his best in that Wild Card loss, hitting two homers and driving in five runs in a performance that seemed like it would carry the A’s into the next round. Instead, the Royals came back to win a thriller in 12 innings.

“It was a little bit weird, just because I know what he’s capable of and what he did in this ballpark for us,” Doolittle said. “He’s a presence in the box anytime he comes to the plate, but especially when he comes to the plate as the go-ahead run in a pressure situation.”

Leading up to the Moss at-bat, Doolittle struck out both lefties he faced — Mike Moustakas on a sharp slider and Eric Hosmer on a 96 mile-per-hour fastball.

But Lorenzo Cain walked and then Salvador Perez singled with two outs and put runners on the corners. Doolittle came through against his former teammate and the A’s took the opener of this three-game series to even their record at 4-4.

“Definitely, the emotions were flying when the three of us were on the stage right there,” Vogt said. “It’s always fun.”

Cahill, a 2006 A's second-round draft pick, pitched for Oakland from 2009-11. He started 96 games in three seasons with the A's, going 40-35 with a 3.91 ERA and 1.32 WHIP. Since Oakland traded him to the Arizona Diamondbacks in Dec. 2011, Cahill's pitched for six teams.

The 30-year-old won a World Series ring with the Chicago Cubs in 2016, and pitched for the San Diego Padres and Kansas City Royals last season. In 2017, he went 4-3 in 21 appearances (14 starts) with a 4.93 ERA and 1.62 WHIP.

Cotton, 26, went 9-10 with a 5.58 ERA in 2017 after a rookie season in which he went 2-0 with a 2.15 ERA in five starts. Leading up to the injury, he was 0-1 with a 3.75 ERA over four appearances in spring training.